For the first time since the pay dispute with the government began at the start of the year, consultants, junior doctors and radiographers will be taking industrial action at the same time.
Consultants who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and junior doctors who are members of the BMA and HCSA (Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association) are set to take industrial action from 7am on Monday 2 October until 7am on Thursday 5 October.
Radiographers who are members of the Society of Radiographers (SoR) will also go on strike for 24 hours from 8am on Tuesday 3 October meaning that consultants, junior doctors and radiographers will be on strike together for 24 hours.
During the strike action we are urging you to help us by choosing the most appropriate NHS service, whether that is by visiting one of our urgent treatment centres, heading to your local pharmacy, or by contacting 111. This will help us to keep our Emergency Departments available for those who need them most during the strikes. However, if you need emergency medical attention you should continue to come forward as normal.
During the strikes, junior doctors and consultants have agreed to provide 'Christmas Day’ levels of cover. This would ensure that emergency care would continue to be provided, but elective or non-emergency work would need to be cancelled. As with other strikes, NHS England will continue to provide guidance as to staffing and service planning and reporting.
We are now entering the tenth month of industrial action across the NHS and staff continue to work hard to provide patients with the best possible care under the circumstances. Industrial action has impacted approx. 885,154 hospital appointments across the NHS.
The previous round of industrial action by consultants last month saw 45,800 appointments disrupted and around 6,000 staff off per day due to industrial action.
Dr Tim Cooper, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board said:
“We are asking you to help your local NHS by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after yourselves, your loved ones and to check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.
“No one should put off seeking urgent care in an emergency during the strike action, however we are urging people to only attend our Emergency Departments if it is a life-threatening situation.
“There are a number of alternative services including pharmacies, urgent treatment centres (UTCs), Healthier Together and 111 online. By using one of these alternative services, it allows our teams in our emergency departments to attend to those patients who urgently need care and attention.
“If you have an appointment during the industrial action, then please continue to attend as planned unless you have been contacted to reschedule.
“We are working closely with our partners across the counties to plan, prepare and mitigate the potential impact and patient care remains our top priority. We are working hard to ensure that we continue to deliver the best level of care possible.”
Know where to go for help during the industrial action
If you have an urgent medical problem and you are not sure what to do, visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. Urgent Treatment Centres and pharmacies are equipped to deal with minor injuries, such as cuts or sprains. Please only go to a hospital’s Emergency Department for life-threatening accidents and emergencies. Details of pharmacies and Urgent Treatment Centres can be found here.
Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted by the NHS if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action. If you have not been contacted, you should attend your appointment as planned.
You can also download the Healthier Together app for advice if you have children or carer responsibilities. The app can help you decide whether you can self-care at home or if you need help, and which service is best for the needs of children aged up to 18. It also provides advice and guidance for pregnant women.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.